may 24

May 24

[media presentation below]

GospelThink

Saturday, May 24, Easter Weekday

JOHN 15:18-21

I have chosen you out of the world.

Prayerthoughts
a. “Hated” is strong word in English. The Lord is getting across the fact that people did not agree with him and showed it in their actions. There should be no one that I actually “hate.” In my life, right now, are there some people that I should show more kindness toward?

b. The world, that is the people against Christianity, are at odds with me because I follow Jesus. Is it clear from my actions that I am following the Lord?

c. Jesus has told me that “no slave is greater than his master.” Therefore in my actions, I should reflect the characteristics of Jesus. When other people judge me, do they see the person of Jesus in me?

d. Other people judge “Christianity” by the way I behave. That should have an influence on my behavior.

e. My prayerthoughts…

Today, I will read the Acts of the Apostles, chapter 16 and write an important thought from it.

Some Thoughts on the Liturgy

BELONGING TO GOD / FOLLOWING THE SPIRIT OF JESUS

+ One of John the evangelist’s favorite distinctions is the distinction between those who belong to the world and those who are “out of the world”, that is, those belonging to God

- another way of saying it comes from how Luke described what happened to Paul in the Acts of the Apostles

- Paul is on the second missionary journey

- and Luke describes Paul’s actions as being controlled by Holy Spirit and what he called the “Spirit of Jesus”

- I think that that is an interesting way of saying that things happened in a certain way

- the Spirit of Jesus allowed it to happen or didn’t allow it to happen

- in this case, the missionaries were so completely filled with the Spirit of Jesus that it didn’t matter what happened

- they went with the flow and did what they could and the Spirit of Jesus remained with them

- in that way, whatever they did was done in the Spirit of Jesus, and therefore was done well

+ John the evangelist’s distinction together with Luke’s description can be expressed this way:

- when it comes to development of the spiritual life, there are two types of people:

- those belonging to the world, that is those who do not follow the Spirit of Jesus

- and those out of the world, or belonging to God, those who do follow the Spirit of Jesus

- it can easily lead to the question—what are the characteristics of those who belong to God, those who follow the Spirit of Jesus

- from the Liturgy today, we might see a couple of answers

1 – it is clear from the Gospel that those who belong to God or who follow the Spirit of Jesus

- will not have an easy time in the world

- words like “hate,” “persecute”, “not knowing” are in Jesus’ discourse

- which says that if people truly want to belong to God and accept the Spirit of Jesus as guide, then part of their destiny is rejection

- that is not a happy thought, of course

- but the clear implication is that those who belong to God or those who pursue the spirit of Jesus will have the reward of God in their lives

2 – from the first reading, with Paul and Luke (who probably joined Paul and Timothy—“we” sections of Acts begins here for a while) on the second missionary journey, if we belong to God and are guided by the spirit of Jesus, we will be missionaries of sorts

- our mission will be to spread the message of Jesus

- obviously not in the sense of missionaries in a foreign land as Paul and Timothy and Luke

- but as people committed to Jesus no matter what the situation—in word, in action, but especially in thought

+ As the Liturgy does so often, we have an excellent question for meditation here

- do our actions show that we belong to God, that is, that we follow the Spirit of Jesus?

MEDIA PRESENTATION

Movie: "Interstellar" -- beginning session

A NECESSARY SACRIFICE

The Gospel

MARK 9:33-35

They came to Capernaum, and once inside the house, [Jesus] began to ask them, "What were you arguing about on the way?" But they remained silent. They had been discussing among themselves on the way who was the greatest. Then he sat down, called the Twelve, and said to them, "If anyone wishes to be first, he shall be the last of all and the servant of all."

Gospelthink: I told my disciples that they had to servants. In my dealings with people around me, do I consider myself a servant?

The movie "Interstellar" is the story of the world on the edge of extinction because of lack of necessary food and a deteriorating climate. A western farmer whom we come to know as "Cooper" was a once-upon-a-time astronaut who had turned to farming. Discovering that NASA had relocated and was involved in trying to figure out a way to "save the world," he found himself called back to the program. The directors ask him to pilot a spacecraft that would hopefully discover an alternate world in which to move Earth's population. Saying "yes" to his situation, Cooper understood that his new calling would place enormous pressure on his existing family, especially his children, and in particular, his youngest child, Murph, a very intelligent young person who truly loved her father and did not want him to leave.

As Christians venerate the Apostles and consider their interaction with Jesus, we often come up with the thought that they must have been very holy and perhaps a little gifted considering their accomplishments. After all, Jesus gave them power to perform miracles and help people in a unique way. The truth is, as witnessed to by many Gospel passages, the Apostles had very human difficulties. They liked their importance, they became jealous of one another, and Jesus had to constantly teach them the way to be the people that they should be.

The Apostles probably wanted to be the way that they were before and change as little as possible. They soon became aware that their future calling was much more than they had originally thought. It is the lesson of maturity. No doubt it affected them as well as their families who probably had no idea what they were doing.

It is not unlike the situation of Cooper and his family in the movie "Interstellar." Once Cooper understood what he had to do as he literally "tried to save the world," he knew that he had to do it. His children, of course, did not understand it, and suffered as a result, but they eventually did understand it, especially Cooper's daughter Murph. The beauty of the movie is that their understanding is an integral part of the movie.

We should not miss the idea that the Apostles began a new life to "save the world" as Jesus wanted it, and Cooper wanted to "save the world" as we have come to know it. We should not miss it because without too much imagination, it is exactly what the Christian is called to do--save the world as best we can in our own way. We must all grow in maturity, and as we do, we will gradually realize the importance of what we are called to.

PRAYER

Good and gracious God, your Son called the Apostles to begin a new life with him. Guide us to see that we have the same calling in our own personal way, and allow the calling to lead us to greater maturity. Be with us, we pray.

+++++

GUIDE FOR CLASSROOM PRESENTATION AND PERSONAL ENRICHMENT

Theme: Every future calling in life will place challenges to one's present living status.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:
(session: approximately 78 minutes)
1. What scene during this session of the movie was most striking to you? Why?
2. The incident of the Gospel is yet another example of the Apostles' misunderstanding of Jesus. From your knowledge of the Gospels, why did the Apostles have such a difficult time understanding Jesus?
3. The Gospel passage brings out the importance of being a servant to the world. In your opinion, have most Christians truly understood what it means to be a servant? Yes or no and why?
4. Although we would not discuss "who is the greatest" in our common parlance, in what areas do you see "pride and jealousy" as a problem for our world?
5. In your opinion, why did Jesus choose the Apostles as he did in the Gospels?
6. The point of the use of this passage with the movie is that the Apostles had to leave their families to follow Jesus because it was a "higher calling." Using your imagination, how do you think the families managed to cope with their loss?
7. Define your own understanding of "growing in maturity."
8. Name some situations in today's world in which people must give up their families in order to do what they are doing.
9. In terms of the importance of the different callings in life, what is the most important calling that a human being can have?
10. Scene analysis: The "1930's" look of the dust bowls Great Depression. In your opinion, as you have studied history, what was most difficult about those times? Why?
11. Analysis: Murph thinks her room is "haunted." What is your opinion about places that seem to be "haunted"?
12. Scene analysis: NASA believes that Cooper is "chosen." Do you believe that God works this way with us, "choosing" us to do the walk of life that we have chosen? Yes or no and why?
13. Scene analysis: the crew makes the decision to go to Miller's Planet, possibly losing a number of Earth years in the process. What type of preparation should we have in order to make such a momentous decision?
14. Scene analysis: Brand makes the decision to explore when she does not have the time, costing them years, but Cooper forgives her. Given the situation of the movie, why is it important that Cooper shows the forgiveness?
15. Scene analysis: back on the space station Endurance, Cooper and the others review the tapes that have been sent to them over the years they missed. If you had amnesia and did not remember the years before this point in your life, what would be the first couple of things that you would like to know? Why?